Avoid rows on draft law, MPs urged

Speaker Kenneth Marende on Wednesday asked MPs to keep off side issues and “negative politicking” to avoid stalling the constitution review talks.

The House, Mr Marende told the MPs, should safeguard achievements made in the review for the country to get a new constitution.

“Power games notwithstanding, I urge all MPs to be open-minded to pre-empt the options of rigid positions that may derail the process,” he said at the opening of a three-day workshop at the Kenya Institute of Administration.

The Speaker was, however, categorical that the workshop was not a decision-making forum, but one to give MPs more insight into the salient issues in the proposed constitution. “Resolutions made in this forum will therefore be persuasive rather than binding,” Mr Marende said.

He drew the MPs attention to section 47 of the Constitution, which provides that the House can only alter the proposed law with the support of 145 MPs (65 per cent).

The MPs were expected to identify the contentious issues after going through all the 18 chapters in the draft for debate on Thursday.

ODM strategists Mutakha Kangu and Miguna Miguna were at the venue and attended the opening session. They were, however, asked to leave the meeting hall and only interacted with the MPs during the breaks.